Summer camps for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes are positive for them since they learn about the disease and also improve their self -esteem and independence, according to the Diabetes Foundation.
In a statement, this foundation has underlined the benefits of summer camps for children with diabetes, as long as they have a team of professionals (nurses, doctors, dietitians, psychologists) who monitor the well -being of the child during those days.
Type 1 diabetes, which requires daily treatment with insulin, affects 30,000 children under 14 years in Spain.
According to the pediatric diabetes advisor of this foundation, Roque Cardona, these camps help the child increase their independence, since they normalize the fact of living with diabetes and improve their diabetological education through practical learning.
Due to the increase in children's physical activity during the camp, Cardona has explained that it is common to reduce the necessary amount of insulin and that the team of professionals is responsible for assessing the insulin taking of each child.
The project 'Campos with Diguan', promoted by the Spanish Diabetes Federation (FEDE) and in which more than 800 children and adolescents will participate, teaches emotional health workshops led by expert psychologists who help children improve their emotions.
For Fede, psychological attention has always been one of the great forgotten in the treatment of diabetes.
The expert clinical psychologist in Diabetes, Gemma Peralta, pointed out that "these workshops intend to work real situations in the lives of these adolescents that generate less positive emotions."
As for example, when diabetics get home and are immediately asked about sugar or when parents are frequently called on mobile and are also taught to treat hypoglycemia while they are with their friends.
The president of Fede, Andoni Lorenzo, has asserted that these camps are not only an excellent tool to help minors to acquire responsibilities with respect to their diabetes, they are also "positive for parents, who will verify that their children earn in confidence andIndependence regarding his pathology. "
